We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Thomas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I often pause conversations to write down an idea or pairing of words I get excited by. Notes can offer an image or turn-of-phrase that fits perfectly in the late stage of songwriting where I am looking for pieces that fit. My family tells me my grandfather, British comedian “Cardew the Cad”, would do this with funny things he heard or thought of throughout his day. 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I’m excited about the mini-album Concierta Quarantina we wrote and recorded in quarantine — myself, my sister Zjolie, and my partner Oscar Quesada. We wrote and created it so fast, maybe the fastest project I’ve done considering the time between creation and recording. It’s been six months of quarantine since release, and I’m already looking at it like a time capsule. I’m artistically grateful to have captured our raw emotions of that original fear.

I recently won the Knight New Work grant to produce a concept album and stage production for 2021 called Butterfly Parade. It will be inspired by human resilience in the face of the trauma we’ve all suffered this year.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve been looking for socially-distant events where I can get a little bit of live music in any form. My buddy Gordon Myers has hosted a couple garden concerts with Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts that I’ve loved. Shoutout to the band Electric Kif [@electrickif] for giving me life! 

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shoutout my dear friend, visual artist and environmentalist Alexander Zastera [@Zastera]. He and I have been spiritual coaches for each other during the pandemic, applauding each other’s artistic habits in a time where we have such sparing interaction with others. Check out his epic painting “Covid-19 Fever Dream”.

Website: www.HeyJayThomas.com
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/HeyJayThomas
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/HeyJayThomas
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/HeyJayThomas
Youtube: www.Youtube.com/HeyJayThomas

Image Credits
1. @ddwyn 2. @danny__beard 3. @ddwyn 4. Juan Martinez 5. @ZjolieGlobal

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